What is Startab.me?
Startab.me is a suspicious search engine that Anti-spyware-101.com researchers have tested in our internal lab after receiving users’ complaints. Although this search tool is not classified as a browser hijacker, it can modify the settings on your Google Chrome browser. According to our research, this search tool is spread along with the New Tab extension that is available from the Chrome web store (download link: chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/startabme-new-tab/jdnmgbpipbnpfcjhadobcmcoglepbofd). There is not much information on this suspicious search tool, which is a red flag. The app is not supported by reviews, links to legal statements, screenshots, or promotional information. On top of that, there is only one rating. Regardless, the app, at the moment, has over 1330 users, which is a lot for a program that does not seem to offer beneficial services. Are you thinking about removing Startab.me from your Google Chrome browser? If you do not think this is necessary, continue reading, and then make your final decision.
How does Startab.me work?
The permissions that the Startab.me extension has are quite extensive. First and foremost, this program can change the start page of your Chrome browser, and you are not given the opportunity to decline this option, which is borderline hijacker activity. Of course, because the extension is represented via New Tab, you must expect it to modify your New Tab page, but do you want it set as your start page? On top of that, as our researchers have found, this extension also installs a search provider. Fortunately, it is not set as your default search provider, but you will find it in the “chrome://settings/searchEngines” menu. Besides introducing you to a suspicious start page, the Startab.me New Tab extension is also capable of reading your browsing history. This suspicious program can record your search queries, interaction with sites and ads, and similar data. As stated in the Privacy Policy, this information is meant to help improve the services delivered to you, as well as showcase targeted advertisements. Have you seen ads popping up? Well, this extension is more inconspicuous with its advertising techniques.
According to our research, Startab.me might showcase advertisements via the search results. The add-on provides a search tool that you can use to look up information or sites. Surprisingly, it redirects to the Bing Search engine. In the recent past, this search engine was rerouting search queries to the Google custom search engine, but, at the moment, you will be greeted by Bing. This suggests that this strange search provider can constantly update itself to exploit different search engines. Although you might view these search engines as trustworthy, keep in mind that they could be used to showcase sponsored links. Is it dangerous to interact with the ads delivered by this search tool? We cannot claim that all ads and links will be unreliable, but because it is difficult to say who will use the extension/search tool to advertise their services or products, you need to be cautious. Besides showcasing suspicious, potentially unreliable ads, Startab.me also promotes links to facebook.com, youtube.com, amazon.com, and other popular, legitimate websites via its home page.
How to eliminate Startab.me
Although Startab.me is mainly spread in Argentina, Mexico, and Turkey, it could hide in a software bundle regardless of where you live. Unfortunately, malicious installers could be used to spread this suspicious extension and the search tool accompanying it. If that happens, your operating system and browsers could be infected with malware, and we advise running a malware scanner to have all potentially active threats identified. Until you do that, you will not be able to proceed with the manual removal. Of course, we suggest using automated malware removal software instead if the threats detected are extremely malicious and/or complicated. The guide below shows how to delete Startab.me manually, and this operation is very easy. All you actually need to do is erase the unwanted extension. We also advise checking the list of active search providers to see if you need to delete an unwanted provider as well. If you have any questions about the removal operation, please post a comment below.
Removal Guide
- Launch Chrome and tap Alt+F.
- In the menu on the right select More tools and then Extensions.
- Find the unwanted add-on, click the recycle bin, and choose Remove.
- In the menu on the left click Settings.
- Move to the Search menu and click Manage search engines.
- Click X on the URL of the unwanted provider and then click Done.
tested removal of Startab.me*
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